JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Pop: Sells Because of What?

Like how supermarkets will provide great space for those companies that the public buys their products over and over, doesn't the music business outlets also provide great space for similar selling acts/songs? Now, with so many artist having their own sites, aren't the buyers even MORE free now to choose who THEY want to be their pop acts? And not having them forced on them, as some believe? (It is sometimes said that all is needed for a hit is for the labels to push any song, any act).???

Pepsi, Coke, have BIG time knowledge on WHAT sells. It matters not that they TRY or NOT to make a beverage that will make humans more healthy, or will please them even more. NO,,,,they KNOW what sells by history of buyers, AFTER they put the products out. NO one force feeds the public. If that were the case, every signed act on every label's priority list would be HITS! ALL of them!

Isn't it the BUYING PUBLIC that have MUCH to choose from that determines who the current pop stars are? And, what songs will be well played and talked about?

Many alternative bands with musician strong songs to most ears will only sell so many units. If they sold more,,,THEY would then be POP! Before, the masses were into what today would be called Alternative bands. Led Zeplin. The Who. They sold TONS. So they were POP! Now, whatever is selling the most,,,that is the POP that the buyers, (kids mainly), WANT to be their POP. If someone here doesn't like the pop of today, but still wants a piece of the music business pie, get contacts and write or produce similar products. Or do what you do and deal with that genre.

The kids today know about some of the music from before, and may even like Beatles, Led Zeplin, etc. BUT, for them to have their own style, they will seek to find something out there that THEY want to hear over and over, if Not the classics. Their buying habits make POP, not the business that gives them what they continue to buy. NO kid buys their songs, and then says,,,,"this is crap,,,I wish they wrote like The Beatles". They would JUST listen to Beatles and NOT buy any current songs. They buy what they WANT! For their reasons.

So, is some, or most, or none of that correct in your mind?

Discuss respectfully, thanks!

Hi Johhnny!

I think you've hit it on the head:)

"Many alternative bands with musician strong songs to most ears will only sell so many units"

I think this is right on too. Sometimes there is just not enough of an Audience to make some of the more Alt.Bands more "Mainstream."
But I will say, a Hit Song will make all the difference!
They are the deciding factor in all of this.
They will cut through anything!

The Record Company along with Radio MP's(Music Programmer) may ultimately decide what makes the Playlist at Radio, but it is ultimately what the Buying public will support.
-Dana

Yes.

In 1981, Buddy Holcombe and I were offered a "deal", that if WE came up with 50 grand to pay this certain independent producer, (not label attached, but would get a label to start out the two weeks), that he would guarantee massive radio play on major market stations for TWO WEEKS ONLY. After that, the plays, and any next "deal" would be determined by the stats of the two weeks of "sales". So, two weeks of being pushed. Then, radio play is determined ONLY by sales, in a proportionate formula of number of sales relating to number of spins per day. (After the two weeks, as the sales info come into the station's PD, the spins are adjusted daily).

Others in the music business confirmed for us, (then, and most recently by one of the top producers in rock history), that this specific indie producer actually did help to make hits in his way of "working with" the radio's PD's. $$ The 50 grand was his standard deal at that time. Some had careers because of it. Others did not sell much to have radio promotion continue at the high level. He told us he knows what general sound and style would generally get the most sales, but could not say what song will be a hit or not. He simply told us our first song on our demo would be worthy of his reputation to the radio PD's and whatever label would join in, knowing he is behind a certain song.

Buddy and I took out our wallets and scrapped together about 35 bucks! We all had a good laugh, and I then tuned his piano, as he was a steady client of mine, and is how I got him to eventually listen to three of our songs.

Others would have to be sent to him by either a publisher or music attorney who thought he should review any given song/artist. He did not usually place songs with artists. He heard me play and sing after each piano tuning, as is why he thought a band could be put around me "IF" after two weeks of any successful sales were happening, based on his heavy rotation deals with the PD's.

The song we had was titled, "This Is Our Time". (It was actually Buddy's and my first collaboration). Funny, for the concept "time" later became part of my band formed in 2006, "Too Little Time", which was taken from my song of that title that Brian heard here and asked me to play it at his showcase. Doing that led to me singing more, which Mike Caro and Scott Campbell then wanted me to sing Scott's "Opening Day" baseball song. I got a former Phillies great player hand it to the stadium's music director, and since 2008, it is played on every opening day in Philly!

Funny how things happen, and are ALL connected. It was that first acceptance from the 1981 hit song producer that assured me of the ways that I keep trying things in the music business. He didn't take anybody's 50 grand to spend on radio play for two weeks. His name is on some Michael Jackson records, as well as many other artists/songs. Sometimes a label would hire him for the same deal, IF he approved of the song and artist. That was just confirmed for me, as I mentioned.

Thanks for listening!
Johnny D

Marketing a sellable product. Full stop.

cheers, niteshift

Yeah! That's what I said! LOL

.

Yea, good points. Teen girls buy mainstream pop music. Teens and young twenties buy rap and hip hop. It sells. Youtube is really the source for teen girls to listen to pop.

Tom

What does not sell? Anything that is old school. Seeing that I have decided to focus producing on teen pop, contemporary country rock and hip-hop rap. I have album projects going in all three areas - covering my bases. Starting a new hip hop rap album project now - one song is on the MP3 forum.

I like other genres but they are just dead compared to these three. Got to go where the action is.

Tom

Grumble grumble sour grumble grapes grumble grumble old days grumble don't make em like they used to grumble.

Hey Todd,

No, I don't think that's the case.

The industry has always been what it's been.

I don't really see any change, other than that there is now a polarisation. Big acts vs the guy in his studio bedroom wanting to make it big via youtube. There is no middle ground anymore.

I was once simply a working musican, not well known, who made a damn fine living just from playing music.

I think what the older muso's are saying is the same. It's not about hit records, or chances missed. It's about just loving what you do, and being able to get a living from being a professional person.

Now ? Heck, I don't waste my time. Like Tom, I'd rather put my efforts into a younger generation and ( hopefully ) give some guidance in the places I didn't do so good at.

That includes "wanting to be famous over work, talent, and even more work"

cheers, niteshift

I actually think that there is some sort of middle ground, because some of those (not man, granted) bedroom artists are damn talented. And some of them DO work their butts off.
It's just a bigger playing field now, and harder for working musicians -- even talented, hard-working musicians -- to make an honest living doing what they love. (And what they're good at.)

Also, I am the first to admit that I do not work hardly at all at the business end of things; this is my avocation, not my vocation. So take my outsider observations for what they are. OUTSIDER (uninformed) observations from someone who just loves to play and is hoping to stumble into some sort of success.

And, I also love to play devil's advocate... stir the pot a bit on occasion. Hopefully I don't offend.

Lets face it MOST pop music aimed at teenagers is pretty mediocre. Few of these modern pop stars have any real talent and the songs themselves are pretty lame and simple relying in the main on production and copying the techniques that have worked before. The people behind this manufacturing process are clever when it comes to hype and marketing but incredibly shallow when it comes to the art of producing quality music itself.....they know how to exploit and promote a teen pop artist and how short a shelf live they have so tend to stick with this formula. So it is a revolving door with flavour of the month continually being replaced. They also know that as their target market audience grow up and see through the hormone driven infatuation they themselves experienced a brand new batch of fans hit the teenage years. So the cycle continues.
I have come to the conclusion that this will not change anytime soon. I have also come to the conclusion that very few people can muscle in on the virtual monopoly of the few people who control and exploit this marketplace.
I do not think that any adult with a serious or discerning attitude about music would ever want to get involved with this kind of pop music for any other reason than to make money. I would go so far as to say that any decent songwriter or performer would have to do a lot of dumbing down just to reach such low standards. I also think that anyone not a teenager themselves would not be up to speed with the ever changing language, trends and cultures modern teenagers have.
I say let the easy led teenies get exploited and have their music so that and in twenty years or so they can have a laugh at how silly both they and there music was.....and how they fell for this mass exploitation hook line and sinker.

Leave it to Big Jim to bring the stormy weather. Hey fella's, the forecast says the rain is a comin'!

Haha okay....All joking aside....

Jim, some people enjoy writing POPULAR music. It's not always about the money. I write it because I love it. I know you hate my stuff, but I love it and fortunately, so does enough people to make it worthwhile. :-)

Greg

Good on ya', Greg!
Me too.

I do not hate your music......I am not a big fan but HATE is simply not true. Forgive me for stating the obvious but most discerning music lovers can see through pop music for what it is.......JUNK....kids love KFC and Macdonalds etc....and also junk pop music...some adults like it because their taste buds are not as properly formed as they should be.
Greg at least admit that production has replaced the quality and sophistication us proper grown-ups prefer.

I am all for folk adopting a business like attitude to their music career BUT please do not fall into the trap of putting business before music. True musicians put music before business.

True words spoken.

Going back to the original question, pop sells because the audience is looking for entertainment and a spectacle. Pop is not judged by superior lyrics. Look at Pink hanging from a highwire, or Lady Gaga wearing her outfits dancing with her sidekicks. Look at Britney in the newspapers with her privates on display. They are doing what it takes to entertain people who have iPhones that can play YouTube videos and 1,000 TV stations on cable plus all kinds of other distractions. Pop stars are doing whatever it takes to rise above all that noise. They are not only musicians but entertainers.

If you are just a singer/songwriter with a piano or guitar and beautiful music, there is a place for you, but it is not at the top of the pyramid with the pop stars unless you do what Lady Gaga did and reinvent yourself as a spectacle.

I have a team of co-writers I work with, where we WRITE our songs from SCRATCH. What does that mean? That means just a piano or a guitar, a vocal melody, and lyrics. when we're happy with the song, we then move on to producers I work with to TRANSFORM that song into what would be considered RADIO READY. That includes musical arrangements, musical production, vocal production and arrangements, the whole nine yards. Once that's done, we move onto the mixing and the mastering.

Big Jim, you can call what I do junk all you want. Bully for you. You can continue doing what you're doing and I'll keep doing what I'm doing. What I do doesn't influence your life in the least and the reverse is also true. Not all that you hear on the radio is like a hamburger from McDonalds. There really IS some quality stuff out there.

On the reverse side of the coin, there's a lot of wannabe musicians and songwriters out there putting crap on a recording and calling it a song. The truth is, the untalented delusionals should probably not quit their day jobs or pick a different hobby. But hey, that's not for me to decide. Rock on! :-)

Vocoders.

Ever since Cher did "Life After Love"..THAT'S what it takes to sell a Pop Song. ;-)> Did some Further Research on it...(Google "Vocoder"/check out the YouTube where it's Explained...(Humorously)..and click on Ellen DeGeneres, Mic-in-Hand...singing Cher's "Groundbreaker", with a brief clip of Kanye West using it on his performance there a day earlier.)

I'm not hearing Anything all THAT Much Different from the early '70's Pop EXCEPT that "Mr Roboto" touch to the Vocals.

HELPS to have Kids singin' it, but Madonna's 54 and STILL kicking Serious Butt.

I'll temper this Optimism with a Quote-from-Cher:
"In this business it takes time to be really good, and by that time, you're obsolete."

There's still some GREAT Pop being produced..that SELLS...Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" sure comes to mind..Instantly.

Best Wishes/Big Hugs,
Stan

As to the subject directly I would agree with Greg...I do the same thing as I have had the most success with it.
The real bottom line is can I make other people money with my efforts...Always subjective but the market drives the end product.
If I am writing to get a cut I have to beat out the 99% who are out there with golden resumes and tons of talent..crap or not...Many stellar writers out there are waiting for that phone call...tons of supply meets diminishing demand..

To simplify EVERYTHING...Cuz the "masses are asses"{LOL}

To simplify EVERYTHING...Cuz the "masses are asses"{LOL}

To simplify EVERYTHING...Cuz the "masses are asses"{LOL}

Bob that was so true you had to say it thrice. Yeah if people are stupid enough to buy it then supply it.
Greg....never mind..... on the positive side.... one of these days you will grow up and start listening to proper music. I find it hard to understand how it takes a team to come up with such crap as dominates the charts when surely anyone can bash out such drivel in a few moments and put a beat to it. Whilst there is some good music out there and some talented performers you have to sift through the crap we are knee deep in to find it. I have always been more partial to ear candy than eye candy....sadly the hormone driven teenagers cannot make that distinction.

Jim, I like all kinds of music. Don't be so dismissive just because you think you're right. Your opinion is yours and I respect that. Cool. We're not in competition with each other.

People are entitled to like what they like. People are entitled to write what they write and do what they do. When I write songs, I try to write stuff that will inspire others to be a positive force in the world. I'm not interested in writing about how much bling someone has. I'm not interested in itemizing women as nothing more than a trophy or an object to be leered or lusted after. I don't write about people's body parts or anything of the sort. That to me is garbage.

IF The Beatles will be known for their musicianship, (LOL):

Opposing viewpoint #1: "Love Me Do"


Opposing viewpoint #2: "I want to hold your hand"


Opposing viewpoint #3: "Lennon himself saying they just wrote silly POP songs so they could have HITS! It wasn't till Rubber Soul, and after Bob Dylan asked Lennon in similar words as these, "Those pop songs are cute, but what do you have to say?", that The Beatles turned into thoughtful and FREE to write what they wanted songwriters.

There's more of course, but I think those 3 major "industry based" points say a lot as to an opposing viewpoint to at least consider. But if a 4th is needed: #4: "I Want To Be Your Man".

THOSE,,,,from "aspiring" songwriters that had George Martin DEMAND that they come up with better songs,,,,to GET TO THOSE ABOVE SONGS!!!!! LOL!
BETTER Songs for the POP MARKET AT THAT TIME!

I rest my case.

Thanks

To your own self be true. If I hate a genre of music,I would not write it just to make money.I hate drugs and what it does to people, so I would not sell drugs just to make money.At the end of the day you have to be able to look at what you've done and be proud of it.That is your legacy. Teens will follow any fad just to be cool,be it wearing their pants half way down their ass or listening to garbage music,but we don't have to be part of it and encourage it.

Who's to say that pop success and artistry are mutually exclusive? Even today?
Example:
Fun.
Two huge hits: "We Are Young" and "Some Nights"

You may not like them, but you cannot argue with their musicial skills, nor their artistry. They can write a song and perform the hell out of it.

Yes, they use auto tuner, but they do so as an artistic choice. Nate Ruess can HIT those high notes -- full voice. I saw them live. I've seen him do it. The rest of the musicians: rock-solid; excellent, even.

So... to say that all pop is pap is just, plain wrong.

Also... hip-hop/rap:
Like it or not, the turntable/computer/studio has become an instrument in and of itself, and today's hip-hop artists are virtuosos.
And, there may not be a lot of "melody" per se, but a lot of the wordplay is just flat-out amazing.
Hell, I hate a lot of hip-hop, but I respect the artistry of a lot of it.

Yep - I enjoy writing it.

Practically all popular music from the past 60 years is generally avaliable today. If it was good it is still avaliable on line but probably not in stores. And there are pop artists today that do make some good music. Look at Adele as an example.

[quote=PopTodd]Who's to say that pop success and artistry are mutually exclusive?

Amen Bro Amen

[quote=Yeah if people are stupid enough to buy it then supply it.
Greg....never mind..... on the positive side.... one of these days you will grow up and start listening to proper music. [/quote]

Come now................

I like John Williams, Danny Elfman, Oingo Boingo, Mozart, Bach, Michael jackson, The Beatles, The Temptations, The Doors, Greatful Dead, FUN, Creed, Linkin Park, Eminem, Beach Boys, etc....I also don't mind One Direction, Justin Bieber, Adele, Katy Perry, etc...

I've grown up just fine.....to appreciate music for what it is and to have well rounded taste buds.

If by "proper music" Big Jim, you mean yours? Then no thanks, I'll pass.

And it's not because I hate your music Big Jim. That wouldn't be true. I'm just not a big fan.

I believe these kind of conversations probably went the same way back when I was a kid listening to Queen, KC and The Sunshine Band, Aerosmith, Boston, Doobie Bros, Bee Gees, Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, and on and on I could go, MY parents hated the stuff...and insisted that only THEIR generation's music was good and worth listening to, and all of ours was crap...and my GRANDPARENTS said the same about my mom and dad's music, and their love for ELVIS, Little Richard, Brenda Lee, George Jones, Tanya Tucker, Ray Charles, Beatles, etc...so I believe it is a generational thing, that the one before it believes wholeheartedly that the music they grew up to, made love to, partied to and just lived to is the best.

Maybe because it has certain memories attached to it...not sure...but one thing I do know, I like the older stuff, like my mom enjoyed and I also enjoy the new stuff. Not all of it, some of it seems silly, but dance worthy and no less than my day when Donna Summer was singing BAD GIRLS...no better lyrics with that than the music in clubs today..but it moves me..

Actually I am quite excited, as I am going to see Lady Gaga in March with guess who...my mom!! She is taking me for my 50th birthday. She is not that familiar with her music but is willing to go with me and experiment a little...and keep her mind open.

I believe we can like a little of this and alittle of that and to paint a whole generation's music as one is best and the other is crap is painting with a wide brush and maybe not so fair? Good and bad apples in every generation..

JMHO

Kimberly
ps...and I am one of the stupid masses, I own all of Lady Gaga's cds, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, and they seem to get along just fine beside my old time bluegrass, Elvis and Ray Charles cds...

Lets put things in perspective.....The fact that you like Justin Beiber and One Direction et al says more about your taste or lack of it than it does of mine. We have been bombarded with so much meiocre acts and crappy songs that we have lost direction and the ability to discern. Instead of being imaginative and come up with anything original or talented we buy into this crap.

It's the difference between Flinstones and Jetsons.

"Ever notice that their stuff is sh!t and your sh!t is stuff?"
Applies to music, too.

Todd, yeah. I was being flippant with Jim though because he can't just let people be. He has to always put other people down and he always has to be right and damn everyone else. So what if I like pop music? So what if I don't want to buy Jim's records. The world's still turning, my heart is still beating, life goes on. :-)

Jim. I don't have to agree with you. You don't have to agree with me. That doesn't make either of us bad people. It just is what it is.

Merry Christmas big guy.

By the way, Jim....Buy some reading glasses. Last I checked, I included a whole slew of artists from several decades as part of my tastes in music.

Greg I have several pairs of reading glasses.....I also have a huge collection of music including the charts from 1950s when they began right up to date. I listen to all kinds of music......does not mean I have to like it all. I HATE manufactured cheesy pop. The reasons are obvious....these third rate guys pulled off the street and backed by the Cowells of this world are doing proper musicians out of work. Anybody and I mean anybody can be a postar giving the right breaks and the right hype and marketing and they can even make it with any old song. There are too many examples of this even going right back to when pop began That is my point pure and simple. Now I did not say and never will that all if it is crap...but lets face it most is hugely over rated produced by and manufactured by corrupt charlatons who control the industry. These popstars are just pawns in their game. I am not jealous....as I suspect you may think I am.... just angry that these guys who control the industry can sucker so many people into liking crap and repeatedly getting away with it.
Back in my heyday the sixties and seventies there was some great original stuff going on but even then we had our fair share of this cancer going on. Nowadays however it has completely taken over and most folk have forgotten what good music is or they have never heard it till they play some of the more obscure or older stuff. Now I know that guys like you are trying to make the big time and to do that you have to buy into liking this crap. That is a fact of life. I am sorry but I can never...if it is crap and these folk are undeserving then I am honest enough to say it. I have no interest in being a pop star or writing cheesy pop never have. Perhaps you might want to take some inspiration from the whole slew of musicians you like rather than emulating folk who should not be let near a recording studio.
With all the gizmos and equipment we have to hand and the huge inspiration we have going back in history music should and could be getting better...why is it getting worse. Why does every pop star thanks to Melodyne sound like Robbie the Robot on drugs....and why can so few of them produce a half decent live performance. I can do it every night and I am rubbish according to you.
I hope you have had a great Christmas and wish you all the best for the New Year...I really mean that. I do jest with you and a lot of what I say is tongue in cheek BUT my main point still stands.....We have been bombarded with so much crap that we have lost the plot and have come to accept mediocrity as the benchmark. The public are generally pretty stupid, gullible and easily led.....that is why they get preyed upon so readily. The recent case of the untalented Korean guy doing a crazy dance and chanting Gangnam Style is testament to how crappy music fads and fashions can take off. He even ripped both the song and the dance off.

I took a music appreciation class once, holy crap, it was in 9th grade.

Jim,

Now THAT is more like it. I definitely respect and relate to that explanation you gave. With that said, I think it is VERY important to emulate the greats from the past, rather than the ones who think they are great now.

I don't emulate Justin Bieber or One Direction. They don't really write most of their stuff, if any of it at all. I do recognize and appreciate the ones who are writing and producing that stuff.

Also, track writing is NOT my preferred method. I know a lot of people in the pop world swear by it, but a melody and lyric are limited by the pre-made track. There is not much room for creative freedom with the music.

When a song is written the Nashville way (lyrics and melody first), then there is more room for crafting music arrangements and vocal arrangements to create a song that stands out against the rest of the songs out there.

I like to tell a story. I like my songs to make sense. I like my songs to move people and make people walk away saying, "I need to listen to that song again."

When I want to be moved and inspired, I listen to the greats. When I want to listen to something purely for the popcorn value, well, I think you get the picture.

This is simply what my argument is about. I like eating popcorn as much as I like stuff with more substance. McDonalds sucks most the time, but once in a while, I don't mind a quarter pounder with cheese.

I too like to say things to rile you up sometimes. Not gonna lie. I like seeing how you'll respond to something. I hope your christmas was pretty awesome and I definitely hope you bring in the new year with a bang. :-)

So there you have it.

G

Thanks Greg It is impossible to rile me up as my skin is so thick...comes from 40 odd years of being exploited by the folk who give me work. Now I also do not mind a bit of bubble gum or popcorn music to boogie to every now and then..heck I perform it sometimes to keep the stupid punters happy....but......will never be fooled into thinking it is something it clearly is not. In the back of my mind I cannot help thinking how these people are over paid over hyped and valued. Just shows how stupid the population can be and how easily led the teenagers are. Just for the record even at a young age I knew the difference between hype and quality.
I just watched the new video of Jesus Christ Superstar (Christmas present) it starred that silly Sporty Spice Girl Melanie C...and the guy who won the reality TV series to cast a new Jesus...whilst most of the cast were pretty good including this new guy she was pretty awful. It seems that Mr Lloyd Webber has sunk to an all time low in casting.....well lets face it he is now part of the dodgy reality TV scene and has lost any credibility he once had. It seems that anyone will sell out if paid enough money.

MOST HERE WON'T REMEMBER THE LUCKY STRIKE HIT PARADE--POP AND/OR ROCK AND ROLL WAS ALL WE TEENAGERS WERE INTO --THE REST GOT TUNED OUT--THEN, THE #1 STAYED ON THE CHARTS A FEW WEEKS--SOME 15 WEEKS--

NOW, TWO OR THREE WEEKS THEN #1 IS GONE FOREVER!

WE HAD DUMB SONGS BACK THEN--COULD GET "STRANDED IN THE JUNGLE" OR "PURPLE-PEOPLE EATER" ON A 25 CENT 45. WE DIDN'T HAVE MP3S, CD'S, OR CASSETTES OR EVEN 8-TRACK TAPES--RADIO WAS KING THEN!

IT SEEMS TO ME, THAT WE HAD BETTER WRITTEN SONGS BACK IN THE 50'S--OF COURSE THAT'S JUST MY OPINION--EVEN THEN, A WRITER HAD TO ASK THEMSELVES: "WILL THE AUDIENCE BUY THIS SONG?"

WITH THE ADVENT OF ALL OUR TECHNOLOGY--MONEY AND DISTRIBUTION, ARE EVERYTHING FOR A HIT--THE NEXT BIG THING! SO WE ALL ARE TRYING FOR A SHARE IN THE PROCEEDS IN A GLOBAL MARKET--THE BIG RECORD COMPANIES HAVE LOST CONTROL OF 3/4 OF THE MARKET--WE CAN ONLY DREAM OF HOW FUTURE MUSIC WILL BE SOLD--ITUNES OR OTHERS, INSTEAD OF CDS!

WHO KNOWS, THE INDEPENDENTS MAY BE THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE--JUST THINK ABOUT HOW FAR WE'VE COME IN THE LAST 20 YEARS--TRANSMITTING A WAVE FILE FROM A DROPBOX AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT, TO PLAY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD IT IS RECEIVED--WHEW--THAT'S STAR TREK STUFF, COMPARED TO THE OLD REEL TO REEL DAYS--EVERYONE IS STILL IN COMPETITION WITH EACH OTHER--BUT BEING ON THE INSIDE, WITH A FINE TRACK RECORD, TILTS THE SCALES TOWARDS THE LUCKY AND FORTUNATE CONTENDERS!

LOOK BACK IN TIME:

http://archive.org/details/audio_music

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Mackie

Jim, are you saying you're a rhinoceros???!!!! (ie. thick skinned) lol

I'm willing to make a living writing songs I enjoy. Here's the thing. If a song, like a movie, has an R rating or worse, I'll most likely pass on it. I don't like profanity in stuff I watch or listen to. I don't like stuff that has explicit sexual content. I don't like stuff that glorifies and promotes evil. That stuff isn't for me.

I grew up on Disney stuff. I'm still a Disney kid at heart. I was born and raised a mormon, so I am huge on the whole family values thing. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate the real stuff, Jim. As I mentioned before. :-) I do recognize crap when I see/hear it and I will turn the tv or the radio off when it comes on. But if something has a good message or has a good story, without the negative vortex to spiral a person down into oblivion, I'm usually fine with it. :-)

Now you sort of understand me a little better, I hope.

Here is an artist I've been working with and while his performance could have been better (I'll be expressing my concerns when I speak with him next), it was still enjoyable. All three songs in these videos, I co-wrote. :-)

"Wake Up World"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL_kQqNX93M

"<3"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biRIs8pPdag

"Why Are We Still Standing Here"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaFVS1KQlAE

Gregory, HI!

NO disrespect to you, in fact the opposite, as what I'm about to suggest to you might be for your own good, (in my opinion).

OK, here are my thoughts as to your involvement with the singer on the first song, and to which I didn't need to do, (but it does), adds to Jim's points.

In all due respect and care for YOU....Please consider another artist to work with. You're only as good as the weakest parts of how your songs are presented, and by what "artist".

To my judgement, it might not be worth your time to work on his issues. There MUST be many artists out there with a better sense of pitch, a better persona, and most importantly, as to having better quality sound of voice, (an appealing, attractive "voice"). Then, any issues from those points on could be worked on to fine tune everything, to have it all be better in the longrun, for all concerned. Yes? Maybe? No?

To put it as someone not being his friend there in the crowd, or drinking, I cringed,,,and that's not like me. So.... he was simply not pleasing or compelling at all to want to hear his "worked on" version later. Sorry.

I think you did him a disservice by giving that link. And by connection, maybe you too. Not a good thing, unless I am but a few of the same thinking. For you, I hope I am wrong. Really.

Thanks for understanding that because we are close here, all us long time JPFers, that we want to call it how we hear it.

Something to consider, that's all. Maybe your strengths are not selecting artists, but songwriting is your strength. No?

Johnny

Sorry Greg the quality of the recordings are too poor to make out what the guy is singing.....I did not think much of his performances however...even allowing for the bad recordings...I prefer it when we can make out most of the words rather than the odd one here and there...OK he is young but has a ways to go before I would rate him as a singer but hey he will probably make it as he gets the girls screaming and dripping with these pubescent hormones......Reminds me of Hanson with their Mmmbop hit.......even though the girls loved them most folks did not have a clue what they were singing about as not one word was audible .......there was even a cult following of folk who wrote alternative comedy lyrics in an effort to translate these noises into distinguishable words. Some of these alternative lyrics were hilarious.
Now you are probably aware of my political and religious views but I will not argue with you on those. Suffice to say that IMO there is a time and a place for all kinds of lyrics. Whilst it is great to write about NICE things sadly we do not live in a NICE world so I adopt the principle that no subject is taboo....and we should write about the things we feel strongly about. I am not a fan of porn and violence so the modern rap and over sexy vids we see also does not feature high on my playlists.
I am a fan of the escapism of Disney BUT life is never like that.......most is too sugar coated and nicey nicey. There is however a sinister underlying extreme right wing element that creeps into most of his productions......that is SOOOOOOOOOOOOooo wrong in oh so many ways. Disney may have made great cartoons and films but he was not a nice person politically...he was so right wing some claim he was a fascist. Strange that someone who created Bambi was also a white supremacist communist hater and an anti Semite who attended Nazi meetings and rallies.
That is another example of the general population being gullible and easily fooled.

"With all the gizmos and equipment we have to hand and the huge inspiration we have going back in history music should and could be getting better...why is it getting worse. Why does every pop star thanks to Melodyne sound like Robbie the Robot on drugs....and why can so few of them produce a half decent live performance."

There is a lot of great music being produced by some great artists, however the pop star stuff you are criticizing is the result of the need to constantly market something new and different. It is the same as marketing an iPhone or computer or refrigerator or car. Nobody would buy a new one if the old one was not "outdated" by planned obsolescence. Hence the robot sounds, (c)rap, etc.